


The Practice of Being Present

by 4racha



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Minor Bang Chan/Lee Felix, Tsundere Seo Changbin, mentions of shake shack because it proves to reign supreme over in-n-out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 13:39:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17081306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4racha/pseuds/4racha
Summary: A designated talent corresponds to people's soulmate's interest. So why is Jisung so talented at wrapping gifts?





	The Practice of Being Present

****“Why would someone drop off a box of cereal to wrap?” Jisung grimaced as he held the box in his hands. Disgusted, he placed in on his craft table and quickly pulled his hands away from it as if it were infected.

Seungmin came over and peaked over Jisung's work station and laughed. “Oh, that's gold. I should gift you a box of cereal for the holidays too.”

Looking up at his friend, he gave you-better-not stare before turning back to the cereal box. “It’s so tasteless,” Jisung grunted as he placed the box down and walked over to get more wrapping paper. “And it's Raisin Bran… Raisin Bran? Who enjoys that stuff?”

“Maybe it's for someone's grandparents? They usually eat that stuff, don’t they?” Seungmin shrugged. “You never know.” He watched Jisung head back with a new roll of the newly released Christmas paper they just stocked up yesterday. “Whoa, the nice paper?”

Jisung nodded as he took out the pencil from behind his ear and started ticking the box's measurements inside the wrapping paper. “If this recipient is getting cereal, they're going to get the nicest cereal present ever.”

“You're so strangely passionate about this job, but it's respectable.” Seungmin laughed when he swiftly dodged the pencil that Jisung attempted to chuck at his head. “You ever wonder what your soulmate likes?”

“Again with the soulmate shit?” Jisung whined as he motioned Seungmin to pick up the pencil on the floor. Seungmin handed it over and watched Jisung continue to measure out the box before grabbing the pair of scissors to cut. “No… not really… why?”

Seungmin shrugged. “I mean your talent is obviously gift wrapping.”

“We work at a stationery and gift-wrapping store… that doesn't mean anything. You work with the stock and cash register… do you think your soulmate is passionate about accounting or something?”

“They could be,” Seungmin chuckled with a shrug before heading back to grab his clipboard. “I'm just saying, I think it's interesting how the universe works. Maybe we'll get to meet our soulmates soon, too.”

Jisung finished taping the last fold over for the gift and sighed. “Yeah, and maybe I'll get a box of cereal as my holiday gift as well,” he mumbled. He threw the box to Seungmin and then ironically told him to be careful with it with the shipping labels and mailing. Seungmin saluted and headed to the other room. Jisung sighed and cleaned up his station a bit. He pouted. “I hope my soulmate finds me interesting.”

Truthfully, Jisung was very wary when it came to his talents. He wasn't particularly good at anything interesting like a sport or an instrument. Instead, he was talented in the art of gift wrapping. He wasn't sure how he found out about it, but his friends throughout his academic career always complimented him with how neat and clean his gifts were whenever they received one from him. And the fact that he's assistant manager at a store with the sole purpose of gifting doesn't seem much of a coincidence either.

It makes him not only insecure, but pretty puzzled as well. What could his soulmate be interested in that has to do with gift wrapping?

The two of them closed down for the night and walked out of their little store onto the sidewalk. They shivered when a gust of wind blew in their direction, causing them to huddle together as they walked towards the strong winds. Seungmin pulled his scarf over his mouth before turning over to Jisung. “Dude, how are you dealing with this wind?” he asked in a muffled tone.

Jisung shrugged as he was squinting with the wind blowing in his faces. “I guess you get used to it.” They finally made it to the station and walked down the stairs, relieved that they were in a warmer and less windy environment. After scanning their cards, they waited for the train on the platform while scrolling through their phones. “Hey, there’s an open mic at the cafe Minho hyung works at. You wanna go see it?”

“When is it?”

“Thursday night at eight. We’re both off on Thursday.”

Seungmin hissed. “I already planned Everland with Hyunjin on Thursday. And you know we’ll be there the whole day.”

“Dang,” Jisung clicked his tongue. “Okay, well, maybe I’ll just invite Felix. I think he’s already going, actually, so I’ll just tag along with him.”

“Isn’t his boyfriend a producer or something? He probably is.” Seungmin smiled and nudged Jisung just as the train had arrived to the platform. “Hey, maybe you’ll meet your soulmate there too,” he joked.

“Ha, yeah,” Jisung laughed along with it as they entered the train. “I just might.”

  


-

  


“The meter,” Changbin commented. He took out the bottom of the pen from his mouth and started tapping a beat on the coffee table in front of him. “It just feels too unnatural. Change it to make the accent on the offbeat. It'll probably sound better.”

Chan nodded across from his friend and put his cup of coffee down before pulling his laptop closer to him so he could do as his friend said. He looked over and played the instrumental for his friend who was nodding along to the softly played music (since they were in a public coffee shop, after all). “Better?”

“Oh, yeah. Much better,” Changbin smiled proudly. He leaned back in his seat with an accomplished sigh before taking a sip of his water. “Oh, hyung. You're coming to the gig tonight, right?”

Chan almost spilled his coffee onto his lap out of shock. He blinked cluelessly at his friend as he wiped his mouth. “That was… tonight? I thought it was next Thursday...”

Slowly, Changbin nodded. “I'm performing with Jeongin… remember?” The expression of Chan's face was a clear message to the pouty Changbin. “Hyung, I told you to free your schedule…”

“I know,” Chan waves his hands frantically after putting his cup down on the table, “but to be fair, I have to pick up my mum from the airport tonight. At least it is a legitimate excuse.”

“Dang,” Changbin rolled his shoulders back to relieve tension. He shrugged. “Yeah, I'll let you go this _one_ time,” he nodded. The serious expression of his face and the worried expression on Chan's face soon turned into laughter. “Guess I'll get a ride from Woojin hyung then… what time is your mom coming?”

Chan raised his eyebrows after taking the last sip of coffee from the cup. He placed it down and rolled up the left sleeve of his sweater to look at his watch. “I should leave in about an hour. We can keep working if you want though.”

Changbin waved his hand as a sign he didn't want to keep working as he sipped his coffee with his free hand. “Nah, let's just rest for a bit. It's been awhile since we just gave ourselves a break.” Chan nodded in agreement as he turned off his laptop and put it back into its case before sleeping it into his backpack. “You and Felix good?”

After zipping his backpack and placing it back between his legs on the floor, Chan smiled. “Yeah, we're good,” he grinned wider. “Actually, that's why my mom is here… to meet him.”

“Wow,” Changbin whistled, putting his empty mug back on the table. “Must be serious then now, huh?” He couldn't help but smile when his friend shyly rubbed the back of his neck and nodded confidently yet humbly. “You think you two are soulmates?”

“I would like to think so,” Chan looked back up at Changbin. “I mean… it makes sense, right? He's very good at Taekwondo and I just so happen to really love exhibitions. I work with music and that just so happens to really be his favourite thing on this planet.”

“I mean him and everyone else who plugs in their earphones at any given time,” Changbin replied. He couldn't keep a straight face and broke into laughter when Chan grimaced at his cheeky response. “Sorry, I had to. But, seriously Hyung, I'm happy for you. I would also like to believe he is your soulmate as well.”

They shared a smile before Chan broke the silence with the screaming question in his head. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you found your soulmate?” he asked.

Changbin chuckled with a hint of insecurity. “Well obviously, not yet. But, I mean, I don't even know what my soulmate would even be interested in that I do. I do a lot.”

“Wow, so humble,” Chan snickered before full-scale laughing when Changbin threw a used napkin at his face. “You _do_ do a lot,” Chan nodded, “what with this underground rap career of yours coming into fruition, your part-time job as a freelance writer… not to mention how talented you are with your sketches.”

“Whoa whoa, hyung, please,” Changbin tried to hide the grin forming on his face from such a compliment. “Don't boost my ego more than it needs to be,” he joked. He sighed after they both came down from their humour high. “Yeah… but that's the thing. I'm kind of scared as to _what_ talent pertains to whatever my soulmate likes because… what if it's neither of those? What if it's really dumb… What if I just seem like a dumbass to my soulmate?”

Chan saw the change in his younger friend's facial expression and heard the anxiety in his tone. He leaned over and patted Changbin's cheek. “First of all, you're gonna be a dumbass no matter what.” He smiled when he saw that Changbin's lip tilted into a shy smile from the joke. “Second of all, if it's your soulmate, it doesn't matter what it is because it's something they are also passionate about. It's something that binds you two together.”

 

-

  


“Thanks again for going with me,” Jisung smiled as him and Felix walked up the stairs from the subway station to the sidewalk. Felix smiled with a nod before they both shivered when a strong wind headed their way.

“Gosh, these winds are so heavy lately,” Felix whined as he pulled the scarf around his neck over his mouth and nose.

He looked over to Jisung who was, surprisingly, handling it very well. They caught up on how their week has been going before they turned the corner and walked a couple more blocks down before arriving at the cafe.

Jisung pulled open the door for his friend to walk through, Felix smiled and patted Jisung’s shoulder at the kind gesture before heading it. Jisung followed behind and the two whistled at how cozy, warm, and homey the cafe felt just but the sheer atmosphere they stepped into. It wasn’t too crowded since they came forty minutes early to hang out with Minho.

Minho peaked up from behind the register after giving back a customer their card and smiled, waving them over. The two walked over and dapped their friend’s hand over the counter. “Wow, you guys are early,” Minho grinned. “Ah, Felix, Chan hyung isn’t coming.”

Felix pouted with a nod. “Yeah, he told me. Thought I’d come anyway with Jisung.”

“Wow, don’t I feel special,” Jisung gasped dramatically with his right hand against his chest. Minho laughed as Felix playfully hit Jisung’s shoulder. “Are you expecting a lot of people?”

“Hmmm, with the line-up we have, yeah. I don’t expect more than thirty, honestly.”

“That’s still a lot,” whistled Felix. “Especially with how small this place is.”

“Well, since you guys are here, do you want something to drink? Don’t worry, it’s on me.”

“Wow, I was about to say, Hyung just wanted us for our money,” Jisung joked. “What’s good here?”

“Everything,” Minho replied.

“Should have expected that from someone who eats and drinks anything,” Felix rolled his eyes as Minho laughed. They both settled on two iced americanos and a soup and sandwich combo that they would share. Minho smiled before walking to the back room to ring up the ticket.

Felix and Jisung found a table close to the mockshift stage with a mini platform and a few stools set on top. The trim of the stage was lit with LED lights with the speakers on either side facing the tables. It was a cute stage that matched the cafe. It wasn’t long before Minho walked over to their table with their order. After thanking him, Felix passed the soup to Jisung as he started eating half of the sandwich.

“How are you and your boy?” Jisung asked as he grabbed the spoon off the tray and stirred his bowl that was still steaming.

Shyly, Felix began to chew slower as his cheeks grew redder. “A-Ah… we’re good, yeah. Hyung picked up his mum from the airport, so he’s with her right now. But I’m supposed to meet up with them tomorrow for brunch.”

Jisung whistled. “Wow, meeting his mom? That’s serious-”

“I-it’s not that serious…”

“Dude… you haven’t even met my mom and we’ve been best friends since you transferred here in high school. This is serious.” Jisung smiled teasingly when Felix whined before chugging his americano through the straw to calm himself down. “But that’s great, man,” he reached over and patted Felix’s arm, “I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks,” Felix smiled. “What about you?”

“Wow, this soup is pretty good,” Jisung hummed after taking a spoonful into his mouth.

“Oh, c’mon, you can’t just change subjects like that when you were the one who started this,” Felix groaned.

Jisung scrunched his nose and snickered after he swallowed. “Fair. Alright. Well, if you must know, I am still single and soulmate-less as ever.”

“Hey, that’s fine. We’ve still got time.”

“ _We_?” Jisung repeated as he looked at Felix dumbfounded. He wiped the soup that was sliding down his bottom lip after talking with his mouth full. “No, you have your soulmate already-”

“Hey, we don’t know that-”

“Uh, you’re kind of meeting his mom? You two have been together since we entered university? Your interests match each other’s talents? There’s no way in the world you two _aren’t_ soulmates.” Felix shoved the last remaining piece of his half of the sandwich in his mouth so he wouldn’t have to talk, a sign to Jisung that he was right and Felix was just too shy to agree to that statement. Jisung sighed as he leaned back in his seat, grabbing his cup and swirling the ice around it before sipping it. “Anyway, I highly doubt I’ll even meet my soulmate anytime soon. Seungmin joked that I’d meet them here tonight. Could you believe it?”

He knew Jisung was joking, but Felix could hear the hint of worry from that question. “It’s possible.”

 

-

 

“Hyung,” Jeongin smiled as he stood by the backstage door holding the door open to let the other performers and equipment crew inside. It was a tightly cramped place on account it was the employee lounge that the cafe employees hold their meetings and where they go to take occasional naps during their break (according to Minho). He waved at Changbin who smiled warmly and walked over to give him a hug. “Hey, where’s Chan hyung?”

“He picked up his mom from the airport and is spending time with her,” Changbin replied.

“Wow, what a _good_ producer,” Jeongin joked.

“I know, we have to punish him later,” Changbin snickered. “Are you playing on the piano while singing or do you have an instrumentalist?”

Jeongin blinked. “Hyung, I’m a struggling university student. I can’t even afford to buy my own piano. I’m renting this keyboard from the music department. Do you know how hard it was to convince Mr. Kwon to let me use this for tonight?”

Changbin whistled. “Yeah, he’s a stickler. But, hey, you got it anyway. That’s pretty good.” They smiled at each other before one of the staff members came to check all of the performers and go over the planned setlist established just a week ago. After taping it to the back of the door that led to the stage, everyone was going over last minute practicing.

Jeongin plugged in the keyboard by the nearby outlet and turned it on as Changbin was mumbling the lyrics they wrote together to himself. “Hey, Hyung?”

“Hm?”

“Do you… do you still have that weird front you give as an artist?”

Changbin looked up from his paper and looked at Jeongin. “What do you mean _weird_?”

“That whole cold front,” Jeongin explained. “You know, the whole not-giving-a-fuck sort of style.”

“First off, language!” Changbin blinked. “And what? I'm not weird! And I certainly don't have whatever ‘front’ you described!”

Jeongin tilted his head as he blinked. “But you do. And it’s not you,” he pouted.

“That's the real me!” Changbin pouted. He furrowed his eyebrows as he looked back at the paper while bouncing his leg after scooting lower in his chair. “T-That's just how I am! Anyway, let’s just focus on the performance.”

  


Three of the performers already played when it was Jeongin and Changbin’s turn to perform. The two of them began to sat up the stage for their performance as the audience was mingling amongst themselves.

Jisung was mindlessly scrolling through a forum looking at stories of how people met their soulmates. Because, as much as he doesn’t want to admit it, he really wants to find his soulmate. Jisung wants to know what it’s like to have someone who he’ll be with him as a close romantic companion ever since he heard Felix talk about Chan in such an infatuated and loving manner. He tilted his head up to see that Felix was smiling down at his phone as he was typing a rather long message, presumably to Chan. “Must be nice,” he mumbled.

Minho tapped the microphone to grab the audience’s attention to introduce the next act. “Now, I’ve known these two for a while… one is a very talented musician and the other is named Changbin,” he joked. The audience chuckled as Changbin scrunched his nose and tried to kick Minho, causing the laughter to grow louder. After Minho got off stage, Jeongin turned on his piano and played a few chords, blushing when he heard the audience ooh in participation.

Changbin adjusted to his poker face that he always kept when he was in front of an audience. He held the microphone centimeters away from his lips with his pointer and thumb encasing the microphone element. “This song was made by the two of us and my producer who isn’t here because he prioritized his mom over us,” he chuckled, earning a laugh from the audience. Even Felix laughed, knowing he was talking about Chan.

“He’s pretty funny,” Jisung observed quietly.

Felix turned and nodded in agreement. “Yeah, he’s really close to Chan. He can get away with that sort of stuff.”

The lights slowly dimmed and the spotlight on the stage brightened as Jeongin started playing on his keyboard. Jisung was intrigued, much more intrigued than the other acts. He wasn’t sure why as the previous performers were talented as well, but there was something enchanting about the way Changbin’s lyrical rap accompanied the soft jazzy sound that Jeongin was producing. Even with such a powerful piano melody, Jisung was very focused on Changbin.

This wasn’t the first time Jisung watched a rap performance this soft, but this was the first time it felt _different_. What seemed like a few hours of captivating music and thoughts, ended within three minutes as Jisung shook out of his thoughts when the sounds disappeared and the round of applause erupted. Jisung looked around his environment and joined in the claps as well and smiled, unknowingly, when he made eye contact with Changbin.

 

-

 

“You did great,” Felix grinned proudly as he patted Changbin’s back from behind. Changbin turned around and smiled, grabbing Felix’s hand and shaking it while patting Felix’s shoulder with his free hand.

“Thanks, wish your boyfriend was here to see it,” Changbin hummed. They both laughed.

The cafe was closed and Minho was doing a last minute clean-up as Jeongin and Jisung were helping him. Though they didn’t really know each other, Jeongin and Jisung began to get close pretty quick on account they were the only two friends nice enough to help clean up. Changbin and Felix were sitting on the bar stools that overlooked the entrance window. They were catching up while they waited for their friends to be done cleaning up. (Minho was a bit upset they didn’t help out and made a mental note to charge them more on their meals the next time they visited.)

“Wow, performance major?” Jisung asked as he was sweeping the floor with the broom.

Jeongin nodded as he squatted on the floor while holding the dust pan. “Yeah, it’s a pain but also pretty rewarding.”

“You definitely sound like a music student alright,” he chuckled. “I just switched to economics last semester. I have a lot to catch up on after winter break though.”

“Oh, don’t remind me,” Jeongin groaned. “I can’t believe I’m taking a class during winter break. It sucks!” he pouted. He smiled again when he heard Jisung humming. “So economics? What are you going to do with it?”

After sweeping the last bits of debris from the floor into the pan, Jisung looked at Jeongin and blinked. “Ah, it’s kind of a silly dream…”

Jeongin stood up with the pan in his hand and tilted his head. “Huh? No dream is silly.”

Jisung nodded slowly as he followed Jeongin to the trash can to dump the trash before placing the equipment back in the staff room closet. “I want to own a greeting card business. You know… cards, gift wraps, stationery, gift wrapping services… the works.”

“That’s oddly specific,” Jeongin snickered, “but admirable. That sounds really cool.”

“R-really?” Jisung asked in denial. He smiled when Jeongin nodded and patted his shoulder.

They both headed out to see Minho nagging Felix and Changbin for not helping them clean up and they couldn’t help but snicker at the sight of the other two pouting out of annoyance rather than guilt. The five of them left the cafe as Minho led them down to the nearby train station.

Jeongin nudged Changbin who looked over. “What?” Changbin asked.

“You should get to know Jisung hyung. He’s pretty cool,” Jeongin suggested.

He watched Changbin shrug before scrunching his nose and pulling the scarf over his nose when a gust of wind blew their way. “I… I don't know…”

“There you go again,” Jeongin rolled his eyes, “with that front of yours.”

“Hey, I told you this is just who I am,” Changbin looked over with puffed cheeks and furrowed eyebrows. “Look, it’s not that I think we couldn’t be friends or anything. I’m just… shy,” Changbin muttered soft enough for the other three in front of them to not hear but vocal enough for only Jeongin to hear.

“Why?” Jeongin asked. “You haven't even spoken to him except when you were introduced to him after the show.”

“Felix and I were talking about soulmates while you guys were cleaning up… and… I don’t know… I felt a weird connection to Jisung when we made eye contact. But I don’t want to claim he’s my soulmate or anything because… that’s scary. Like, I barely know him.”

Jeongin blinked and saw how worried and conflicted his older friend seemed. He walked closer so that their arms were touching and he nudged him. “Well, soulmate or not, I think you should get to know him regardless,” he encouraged. “You shouldn’t be afraid to let people into your world.”

 

-

 

It was a slow day at work. Jisung was casually wrapping a box that was filled with old knick knacks. A nice elder lady stopped by to drop it off so that he could package it for her granddaughter. Jisung thought it was a sweet gesture. That was one of his favourite parts about this job: connecting people and bringing them closer via gifts. He knew that love has no distance.

Seungmin knocked on the door to get Jisung’s attention and smiled when he turned around. “Hey, Felix is here. And he’s with a friend.”

“Huh?” Jisung blinked as he took his hands off the wrapper and stood up, walking to the door to peak over. Sure enough, he saw Changbin. He gasped a bit surprised and hid himself from sight.

Confused, Seungmin tried to pull Jisung out, only to have him resist and squeal quietly. “Dude,” he chuckled, “what gives? Do you hate him or something?”

“No no,” Jisung anxiously shook his head. “It’s like… the complete opposite of that.”

“Oh you like him, huh?”

Squealing Jisung pulled himself from the doorway so that he wasn’t visible to Felix and Changbin who were looking around the store. “No, I barely know him! But… I don’t know… it feels weird.”

Just as confused as his friend, Seungmin patted Jisung’s shoulder. “Well, it’d be rude to just not say hi to them. But maybe it’s a _good_ weird feeling you’re experiencing.” They stood there smiling at each other before Seungmin patted Jisung again. “C’mon, let’s go out before I tell my uncle to fire you,” he laughed. Jisung scrunched his nose but let Seungmin sling his arm around him to walk with him out to the front.

Changbin was looking around the shop in curiosity, tugging at Felix's sleeve ever so often to ask questions about the products he saw on the shelves. “Whoa,” he whistled as he walked through the greeting card aisle in front of Felix. “These are all handmade?”

“I think so, Felix shrugged. “Seungmin’s uncle has quite the artistic touch. He saw how intrigued Changbin and looked closely even the embossed logo on the back of the card as his fingers lightly ran over it. “Jisung learned everything from uncle. He's pretty crafty too.”

Looking up at Felix, Changbin blinked surprised. “He made these too?” he asked. When Felix nodded, Changbin felt his cheeks grow a little warmer and quickly put the card back into its slot.

Felix chuckled. “Why don't you buy it? It's got a really cute pink bunny-”

Changbin quickly covered Felix's mouth and shushed him with his free hand pointer against his own lips. “Not so loud!” he whispered. Felix tried to contain his laugh after he pulled Changbin's hand off of him. “Nobody can know-”

“That what?” Felix hummed teasingly. “That you're a complete softy who likes all things cute and pink?” He laughed when Changbin playfully hit his shoulder and smiled when he saw Jisung and Seungmin walking over from behind Changbin. With a swift turn, Changbin stood next to Felix and waved as well, avoiding eye contact with them since he was still recovering from Felix almost exposing him.

Felix high-fived his friends and started talking to Seungmin. That left Jisung who was standing in front of Changbin to talk to each other. This was risky, and Jisung felt his heart race with anxiety and also turned his head to avoid eye contact as well. “So,” he coughed. “Do you like the store?”

As much as Changbin wanted to say how much he adored all of the cute knick knacks and almost flipped head-over-heels for all the cute pastel pink greeting cards, he opted for a shrug and nod as he averted his eyes back to the gift boxes on the other shelf. “Yeah, it's nice. P-pretty cool that you guys all make these by hand.” He practically held his breath when he saw the white and pink penguin decoration on the gift box wearing cute and fluffy hats.

Jisung looked up at Changbin. “Ah, thank you,” he smiled timidly. Yeah, we painted and crafted everything in the store. My speciality is gift-wrapping though… not too exciting,” he chuckled.

Seungmin peaked over and laughed. “Not _too_ exciting? Dude, you have to show them how you wrap.” He slung his arm around Jisung's neck and hummed as Jisung was whining under his grasp. “This guy is like a _machine_. It's like ASMR watching him. _So_ satisfying.” Unwillingly, Seungmin practically dragged Jisung back to his work station as Felix tugged at Changbin's arm to follow them.

“What are you doing?” Jisung asked quietly in disbelief. “This is stupid! He probably thinks this is the dumbest store ever and I have the stupidest talent ever!”

“You know,” Seungmin hummed teasingly. “You wouldn't care _this_ much if you _weren't_ so interested in him.” He smiled knowingly when Jisung quickly shut his mouth and his cheeks began to turn red.

Contrary to Jisung's belief, Changbin was surely enchanted with everything about the store: the craftsmanship, the artistry, and of course the attention to detail. But he couldn't say that aloud. He tried to keep an expressionless face, but he lost composure when Felix kept nudging him while giggling.

Jisung sat at his desk and frowned at Seungmin who was already across the room getting the gift wrapping paper. “What pattern?” he shouted.

After putting on his glasses and taking out his ruler, precision knife, and bone-folder, Jisung turned to Seungmin. “The soft pink one with the red bows. That's what the auntie requested for this box,” he said as he patted the box's side. Changbin, yet again, held his breath as he saw the beautifully decorated paper go into Jisung's hand and quickly sprawl across the table.

Felix and Changbin stood back and quietly observed as Jisung slowly forgot anyone was in the room and quickly entered his zone. The way he measured and marked the paper as he continuously flipped the box around with such diligence was so captivating to watch. Jisung looked very focused and very attentive to what he was doing, despite how mundane it seemed.

Felix smiled. He's seen this before, he knows just how nice it is to watch Jisung in his element. Changbin, however, had no idea what he was going into but he surprisingly was into it as well. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was as if Jisung had a rhythm to his every move and mechanics. He could practically the melody from the pencil marking the paper, the bass every time Jisung tapped the box, and the beat every time he slapped his ruler down on the table. It was as if Jisung was performing and Changbin was lucky enough to see it up close and personal.

It took about fifteen minutes for Jisung to completely wrap and tape the present, which seemed like an hour or two for Changbin who was captivated. Seungmin clapped his hands and Felix and Changbin soon joined in, causing Jisung to snicker before running his hand through his hair and taking off his glasses. “Not bad,” Seungmin commented as he pulled out the stopwatch from his pocket. “Not your fastest time, but pretty decent.” He laughed when Jisung tried to swat him away.

Looking over at Changbin, Felix nudged him and leaned in close to whisper. “I’m going to invite them to join us tomorrow for lunch, if that’s okay.” He saw how Changbin was about to object and Felix quickly covered his friend’s mouth once again. “Before you say anything, Chan is coming and so is Minho hyung. It’s just a get together, nothing more and nothing less.”

“Well, alright,” Changbin sighed in defeat. “I guess it might be nice… to y’know… get to know them…”

“Get to know Jisung even more, right?” Felix asked and laughed when Changbin hit his arm bashfully.

 

-

 

Jisung was patiently waiting for the others to arrive as he stood outside of the restaurant. He wasn’t really sure what he was getting himself into, but Felix said it would be a fun group hang out and the perfect opportunity for Jisung to get to know Changbin on a more intimate and friendly level. Of course, Jisung had to oblige. However, he felt pretty dumb and awkward on account he was just standing there by himself.

He tried to play it off cool and leaned against the outside wall of the restaurant and scroll through his phone, only to discover that Seungmin tagged along with Chan, Felix, and Minho to Lotte World just an hour ago. Jisung isn’t stupid. He messaged Seungmin right away.

  


 

> **[You replied to Seungmin's story] Jisung:** what the hell? 
> 
> **Seungmin:** hello :) 
> 
> **Jisung:** is this… is this a fucking set-up? 
> 
> **Seungmin:** don’t think of it like that… think of it as a blind date! 
> 
> **Jisung:** that’s basically what a set-up is you dumbass!! 
> 
> **Seungmin:** relax, i know you like the fact that you get changbin all to yourself lol 
> 
> **Jisung:** EVEN SO i would have APPRECIATED other people around me 
> 
> **Seungmin:** nah just think of it as time to ~spend with your soulmate~ 
> 
> **Jisung:** ugh i hate you guys 
> 
> **[Seungmin liked your message]**

  


Jisung grunted and locked his phone before shoving it into his jacket pocket. He should have known, this all seemed too easy and good to be true. However, after his initial angry reaction his heart started beating faster at the thought of having a date with Changbin. He whined and tried to slap himself on his cheeks to knock sense into him. It didn’t work. He just had to admit it to himself that he, Han Jisung, was falling for Seo Changbin who he barely even knew.

Which is normal, he supposed. Most relationships start in this square one. But Jisung was concerned with the fact that Changbin may or may not be his soulmate. If he wasn’t, there was no point in pursuing, right? And if he was… what was Changbin so interested in about him? Jisung knew it was his insecurities and anxiety doing all the talking, so he was glad that the strong wind that blew his way snapped him out of his worries.

It wasn’t long before he saw Changbin in his peripherals. He stood up straight and waved at Changbin with a smile when in reality, Jisung could feel his whole fight-or-flight response activated in which he was ready to run the opposite direction as fast as a cheetah. “Hey,” he smiled, clenching his teeth tensely.

Changbin pouted and Jisung could have sworn that was the cutest pout he’s ever seen. “The guys-”

“-yeah, I know,” Jisung nodded with a disappointed sigh. “You saw?”

“Even worse, Chan hyung sent me selfies of them altogether. Assholes,” he chuckled. “Anyway… if you don’t want to do this whole restaurant thing that’s-”

“No, I would love to,” Jisung interrupted enthusiastically. They both blinked at each other in disbelief when Jisung realized he might have said that a bit too excitedly for his own good. “I mean…” he coughed as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. “If you want to… we can just hang out together?”

He knew he was betting on a limb here, but there was a wave of relief when Changbin smiled. “Sure, might as well since we’re here anyway.”

After agreeing, the two headed inside, thankful that the restaurant wasn’t too fancy and they could order at the counter without the awkwardness of a waiter coming to them and assuming they were on a date. Because they _definitely weren’t_ on a date. They waited in line and looked at the menu hovering over the cash register together as they were deciding on what to eat.

“You feelin burgers?” Jisung asked.

“I love burgers,” Changbin replied with a smile. “Just don’t know which one…”

Jisung pointed to the left side of the menu. “I heard the SmokeShake is good. Single or double though?”

Changbin turned his head to look at Jisung. “Our friends just ditched us. I’m getting a double and treating myself.” They both laughed before moving closer to the register and looking back at the menu. “What about you?”

“Probably just the cheeseburger. A double as well,” he chuckled.

“Can’t beat the classics,” Changbin nodded in agreement. As they went to place their order to the cashier they decided to get two soft drinks as well and split a cheese fries. Looking over, Changbin saw Jisung pulling out his wallet and grabbed his wrist before he took anything out of it. “What are you doing?”

Jisung blinked. “Paying?”

“No, let me,” Changbin said as he reached into his back pocket to grab his own wallet. “It’s the least I could do.”

“Ah, no no,” Jisung said as he grabbed Changbin’s wrist with his free hand, “I insist. Our friends are assholes and this is the _least_ I could do.” It took a bit of friendly bickering and age comparison before Changbin won and handed his card over to the annoyed yet slightly intrigued cashier who observed the sweet argument the two had in front of her. “You win this round,” Jisung scrunched his nose as Changbin proudly took the receipt and fountain drink cups.

“Don’t worry, you can make it up to me later,” Changbin hummed as he handed one of the drink cups to Jisung.

He went ahead to the fountain to get a drink as Jisung stood there in shock while holding the cup. Did Changbin just imply he was okay with the idea of going on another _date_ with him? Jisung could have sworn his heart skipped a beat at that statement. After getting their drinks and Changbin bringing over their food when his name was called, the two sat down at a table and started eating their lunch.

It went well. It started with soft questions in the beginning asking about their university majors and plans after graduating, which was very easy for the two of them on account they tell this to basically every adult who has ever asked them the same question. It evolved into a few harder questions, mostly about their hobbies. Jisung was shy to admit how much he really enjoyed his job at Seungmin’s uncle’s store and Changbin noticed that as Jisung started swirling his fry around the cheese sauce nervously.

“Hey,” Changbin spoke, which caused Jisung to look up at him. Changbin froze when he saw how Jisung was looking at him like a cute, helpless puppy. He shook out of it though. “It’s something you’re passionate about, right?” Jisung nodded and Changbin gave him an encouraging smile. “Then it doesn’t matter because it’s something you like and something that makes you happy.”

Jisung looked at Changbin as if he spoke such profound words when, in reality, his friends have been telling him that this entire time. He wasn’t sure what it was about Changbin saying it to him that it reached his soul. Jisung coughed and nodded as he quickly slurped his drink to prevent his cheeks from blushing right away. “Ah, what about you? You’re really good at performing.”

Changbin smiled and chuckled. “Well, thank you,” he hummed. “I’m not really into performing as much as I am with writing… or composing for that matter.”

“Really?” Jisung asked as he leaned his elbows on the table intrigued. “You write your own lyrics, right?”

“Yeah,” nodded Changbin. “I also freelance write part-time.”

“That’s amazing,” Jisung grinned. “I could never work part-time while classes are in session. I only working at Uncle Kim’s store until the end of winter break because of how workload heavy my classes are.”

“That’s rough, but I understand.”

“What is it that you like most about writing?” Jisung asked on a whim.

He crumpled his burger wrapper after he finished eating it and wiped his lips with the napkin near his drink. “I think there’s a lot that I like about it,” he said after he swallowed his food. “But.. I guess the biggest thing is when I connect to people. It’s like…” he chuckled, “it’s like that feeling where people who understand your words and the meaning behind those words just feel all the more connected with you and each other.” Changbin blushed embarrassed. “Ah, that might sound really cheesy.”

“No, it’s not,” Jisung blinked as he nodded in comprehension. “I… I understand that all too well,” he smiled. “It just satisfies your _soul_.”

 

-

 

Neither Jisung nor Changbin were aware of how that one _date_ got the ball rolling for the two of them to start spending more time with each other. Once winter break ended, they found themselves on campus together walking around, having lunch, going to the subway. They weren’t even with their other mutual friends, it was solely just the two of them. And, frankly, neither of them felt awkward around each other. In fact, they felt pretty comfortable with in each other’s company. They weren’t sure what it was, but something just felt _right_.

 

“Wow,” Changbin whistled as he was watching Jisung folding a few of his papers together before putting it in his accordion folder. Jisung looked up to see Changbin smiling. “Even the way you fold papers so perfectly is satisfying.” Changbin laughed when Jisung hit him with the folder and they both were silenced by the students around them since they were in the library.

“You’re lucky we’re close,” Jisung whispered in an annoyed voice as he zipped up his backpack after organizing his folder and supplies. “I have my two-hour lecture in five. Do you want to go grab a bite afterwards?”

“Sounds good to me,” Changbin smiled as he was tapping his pencil nonchalantly on the notebook in front of him while leaning back in his chair. “It will probably take me that long to finish this assignment anyway.” Jisung smiled and nodded before waving and heading off outside the building. Changbin relaxed his muscles and slid back in his chair before wiping his face over his hands.

Truth be told, he wasn’t working on an assignment. He was working on another song with Chan. He was working on three full songs, to be more specific. Ever since he started spending more time with Jisung, Changbin has been spitting out lyrics and songs like a machine. He didn’t really make anything of it, but was thankful that Jisung—for some odd reason—got his creative juices flowing like a river. At this point, Changbin was writing an entire album of songs all thanks to Jisung.

 

They started hanging out more frequently off-campus as well, especially at such unreasonable times. Changbin found himself messaging Jisung at midnight asking if he wanted to tag along since Changbin was craving a slice of thin crust pizza that they could only get at Hongdae, which was a thirty minute subway ride away. However, Jisung always seemed to be willing to tag along no matter where and no matter what time. It was something else that Changbin admired about Jisung: his willingness and his adventurousness.

Although the romantic feelings hit Jisung pretty early on, it wasn’t until Changbin was eating donuts and sharing a milkshake with Jisung at two in the morning that he felt his heart skip a beat and his hands get sweaty and the idea that he might like Jisung more than a friend entered his mind.

 

Their dates soon began to get a bit more flirty with affection and cheesy jokes.

 

Changbin grabs Jisung closer to him when he sees how crowded the train or eatery seem to be so that they ‘don’t lose each other’ as he says. It made Jisung blush, especially since Felix had mentioned that Changbin’s not really into skinship with his friends in the first place. He also acted more chivalrous to Jisung: holding doors for him, carrying his bags for him, giving his jacket to him. It was all too much for Jisung’s heart to handle at times.

But Jisung reciprocated it as well, but more so with words. He is a man of stories, and he likes telling his most outrageous and embarrassing stories to Changbin just to hear the laugh and see the smile that he makes. Changbin knew how much Jisung trusted him with such ridiculous and foolish stories about himself, and he was happy he could be trusted and heard such quirky moments from Jisung.

 

However, as spring break was right around the corner, things started to shift out of order. Jisung was to work at Uncle Kim’s store over break but Changbin was going to go on a trip to Japan with his family for the whole two weeks. They were a bit sad about their distance, but Jisung was happy that Changbin would be able to explore and maybe even get new ideas for songs and Changbin was happy that Jisung would be able to brush up on his craftsmanship again.

Jisung and Felix accompanied Changbin to the airport since his folks went off the day before as Changbin had one more exam on that day. The three of them took the subway and shuttle bus and walked all the way to the security checkpoint. Felix stayed back as he observed Jisung and Changbin talking from afar. Although they laugh and talk during their friend group outings, it was much different seeing them with just each other. He could practically feel the oozing feelings that the two were obviously communicating to each other.

After they approached security scanning, Changbin did his special friendship handshake with Felix. He turned to Jisung and smiled before giving him a warm, tight hug. Jisung gasped and froze in Changbin’s arms but quickly melted and hugged Changbin back. Felix smiled at the sight. Jisung fell back and stood next to Felix as they waved Changbin off.

On the way back to the subway, Felix grinned. “Wow, you really like him,” he smiled.

“I do,” Jisung admitted proudly. He smiled shyly as he tapped his pointer fingers together. “Ah… who knew that… this is what it feels like.”

“It feels nice?”

Jisung giggled. “It feels incredible.”

As they got to the subway platform, Felix nudged Jisung while they were waiting for the train. “So?”

“So…?” Jisung blinked.

“Do you think he’s _the one_?”

Jisung tilted his head confused.

“Do you think Changbin’s your soulmate?” Felix clarified.

There was a moment of silence before the ecstatic expression on Jisung’s face dropped. He totally forgot about considering if Changbin was his soulmate or not. Jisung was so wrapped up in the moments and the giggles that it didn’t cross his mind a single time. “Do you think we are?”

“I mean… you passions and interests match, right? You’ve been hanging out with each other comfortably… heck, you even met his _family_. Why wouldn’t you be?”

“I… I don’t know.” Jisung pouted confused. The train came and the two walked in, Jisung drooping his head to face the floor. He grabbed onto the handle above him and gripped it tightly “We should be… right?”

 

Unbeknownst to Jisung, Changbin also began to grow worried over the idea of them being soulmates. His parents kept questioning if he knew that Jisung was _the one_. And as much as he wanted to say he was, Changbin wasn’t entirely sure. He asked his parents how they would know and they responded with that you just have a certain gut feeling. The problem was: Changbin had a feeling, but he wasn’t sure if it was his gut feeling or an in-the-moment feeling.

They texted the first few days they were apart, but the text responses started coming an hour or two later before they finally just ceased. It was about eight days into their spring break and Jisung and Changbin haven’t communicated with each other. They’ve been talking to other friend but just left it at that. Seungmin noticed how sloppy Jisung’s wrapping had gotten and suspected it was because of this, but he didn’t want to push into it too much.

Chan—who is probably the only person who messages Changbin constantly—pushed into it though. Despite galavanting a new country with his loved ones, Changbin was still determined to finish a solid setlist before classes started again. However, his work was getting sloppy. Chan constantly kept sending lyrics back for Changbin to rewrite or just asked if he could write a new song altogether.

“What’s gotten into you, man?” Chan asked over the phone one night. “Your deadline is coming soon and you haven’t been giving me the best work.”

Changbin was lying down on his hotel bed and whined as he ran his hand over his face. “I know, I know!” he grunted. “I guess I’m out of my mojo… I don’t know! It’s been hectic the past few days…”

“Why is that?”

“I’ve just… had more time to myself and I guess I’m overthinking about— a lot of stuff.”

Although Changbin didn’t specify what it was, Chan knew what Changbin was talking about. He softened his voice and tone. “Dude, I care about you. And I want you to meet your personal deadline, but if you can’t, don’t push yourself off the edge, okay?”

“No, I can definitely do it,” Changbin grunted as he sat up straight. He ruffled his hair in frustration. “I can!”

“It’s okay if you can’t,” Chan replied. “Especially if you haven’t been talking to Jisung the past few days.” He heard how silent the other end was and sighed. “Felix told me. So did the other guys who noticed how off you two seem. What’s wrong? You know you can tell me anything. I am your hyung, after all.”

After calming down, Changbin took a deep sigh and fell back on his bed. “I just… what if we aren’t soulmates?”

Chan blinked. “So? What if you aren’t?”

“I mean… doesn’t that mean we’re just wasting each other’s time? Is everything we’re doing right now meaningless if we’re just going to break up in the future?” There was a pause before Chan chuckled. Changbin blinked in confusion at the sound. “Hyung?”

“You do realize you’re talking to the guy who went through the exact same experience and thought process as you, right?” he hummed. He took a deep breath before continuing. “Look, Changbin, I know you like Jisung. And I know, for a fact, that he likes you as well. Whether you two are soulmates or not doesn’t really matter. Sure, your interests and talents match but—at the end of the day—the system is the system and your feelings are your feelings.”

“I don’t follow—”

“Listen,” Chan continued. “You like Jisung, right?”

“I do.”

“Do you want to be with him?”

“Yes, more than anything, but—”

“That’s all that matters,” Chan interrupted. He smiled. “It took me a good few weeks to realize that when Felix and I started dating. It didn’t matter if we were soulmates or not. What mattered was that, in this present moment, I enjoyed being with him and I wanted to be with him. Nowhere else, no other time, no other person. Just me and him in the moment.”

It was silent for a good few minutes, but Chan knew that Changbin was taking it all in. Nobody has ever gave him that talk. All this time, he was worrying and dreaming about finding his soulmate when none of that concerned him right now. Right now, he likes Jisung. He wants to be with Jisung.

“Changbin are you still there?” Chan asked.

“I just bought plane tickets back for tomorrow,” Changbin said.

Chan blinked. “Are… you serious?”

“Yeah, I need to go home right now. I’ll tell my parents everything on our way to the airport tomorrow morning. But right now I need to pack!”

With a soft chuckle, Chan just shrugged and accepted the fact that Changbin seemed like a fool in love. “Do you need me to pick you up?”

“Please and thank you,” Changbin hummed. “I’ll be there at nine in the morning.” He quickly pulled his luggage on top of the bed and began filling it with his clothes. “Oh, Hyung! One more thing: could you pick something up for me at the grocery store before you leave? I need to get something for Jisung.”

 

-

 

As per usual, work was slow for Jisung. He sighed to himself as he was measuring the dimensions of the small package on his work table, but he was moving at a slow pace. He looked over at his phone, hopeful, but quickly shook his head and shot down the thoughts racing towards his mind. It was frustrating, however, because Jisung just didn’t seen to be focused on his work. On anything, really.

He heard the entrance door ring: a sign that someone walked into the store.

“Hey,” Seungmin shouted from the stock room. “Could you get that? I’ve got my hands full here.”

“Got it,” Jisung yelled back as he got up from his desk and trudged over to the cashier. He wasn’t sure what to expect, but it certainly wasn’t a panting Changbin who was leaning over the counter trying to catch his breath. He blinked in disbelief but assumed his position behind the register. “C-Changbin?”

Changbin looked up after being able to catch his breath and smiled, practically melting Jisung’s entire being on the spot. “H-hey,” Changbin heaved. After standing up straight he placed a box on the counter. “I have something… for a certain talented wrapper _from_ another talented rapper. Jisung looked down and saw the Raisin Bran box of cereal and couldn’t help but die of laughter. Changbin smiled. Soulmate or not, Changbin and Jisung knew where they wanted to be and who they wanted to be with in the moment.

 

 

_This is a meditation for me_  
_A practice of being present._  
_There’s nowhere I need to be_  
_Except right here with you._

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to my friends who have encouraged me along the way with writing this fic. And a big shout out to the mods for organizing and creating this exchange in the first place ♡ AND A SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO SHAKE SHACK FOR THEIR GREAT FOOD!


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